🥩 High Protein, Low Carb
(Our Experience with Nutrition and Swallowing Challenges)
⚠️ Disclaimer: This information reflects our personal journey and what worked for us as a caregiver–patient team. We are not doctors or nutritionists, and this is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare provider before making any dietary or supplement changes — especially during or after cancer treatment.
Throughout Brad’s healing journey, his diet evolved many times, depending on how he felt and what his bloodwork showed.
After just eight days on cannabis oil, when he began swallowing chicken again, I went into full caregiver mode — figuring out how to pack in as much nutrition as possible with as little stress and as few carbs as we could manage.
🍓 The Strawberry Trick
Swallowing issues were especially challenging — not just physically, but emotionally. Any time food got stuck, I could see that flicker of worry in Brad’s eyes. It reminded him of what we were fighting. I would reassure him, “It’s just a shriveled tumor, probably no bigger than a cauliflower floret.”
Through trial and error (and lots of back rubs), I discovered something that seemed to help — and it worked for us every time.
Brad’s esophageal backups weren’t only from food; sometimes his saliva glands would overreact. When saliva pooled above the obstruction, food couldn’t pass. My trick was to have him eat a single strawberry or blueberry before meals. This kicked his saliva glands into gear — then we waited about five minutes. By that point, things had calmed, and his food went down more easily.
If something did get caught, I would gently pat and rub his chest and back — switching sides — until the food passed. It became part of our routine.
💪 Building Protein Into the Day
With help from a knowledgeable oncology nurse friend, we focused on creating a high-protein, low-carb morning shake — something that wouldn’t cause swallowing issues and would set the tone for Brad’s whole day.
By the time he walked out the door to work, Brad often had about 50g of protein already in him. That shake became his nutritional foundation.
We also chose to include raw eggs in the shake — something we were extremely cautious about. This is not a recommendation for anyone else. Because chemotherapy can weaken the immune system, we only used pasteurized eggs and monitored Brad’s bloodwork closely, especially his immature blood cells (the baby ones his body was trying to produce). As long as those looked good, we felt comfortable continuing.
Eventually, we built up to four eggs per shake — and Brad told me it was the best he had felt since he was 15 years old.